passionate.vegan.rambling

Cream of Mushroom Soup

…a childhood favourite, right?! I used to love the red-and-white-canned version of this soup as a kid. I really couldn’t get enough of it: a giant bowl with steam rising, the surface heavily sprinkled with pepper and my chubby little fingers scooping the mushroom pieces out with a saltine. Mmmmm…..I get all fuzzy inside just thinking about how many cozy lunches I had with trusty ole cream of mushroom to keep me company!

The other day, I was reminded of my old love affair when I was visiting my sister. Mr brother-in-law was eating a bowl of soup and mentioned it just wasn’t the same without the saltines to break into it and like a flash, I could picture a steaming bowl before me. I just had to make some soup.

The very next day, I stomped into the kitchen determined not to come out until I had a steaming bowl of cream of mushroom soup with me. I made this recipe up as I went along, jotting little notes on my heavily stained recipe notebook as I stirred and chopped. It was amazing!

Certainly, it wasn’t anything like that canned variety but the thick, creamy mushroom soup was exactly what I wanted. I didn’t even share! Husband had one spoonful from the entire pot; the rest was mine!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

–1 lb. mushrooms, diced (I used a combination of white button and cremini. I wanted mild tasting mushrooms for this soup but you could definitely substitute an equal amount of your favourite mushroom)

-1 T. fresh lemon juice

-4 T. vegan margarine

-2 small shallots, diced

-1 tsp. dried thyme

-1 bay leaf

-1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

-4 T. all-purpose flour

-4 cups mushroom stock

-1 cup plain soymilk

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the mushrooms and toss gently. Set aside.

Melt the margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté till slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes, until the mushroom liquid evaporates. Season with the pepper (and salt if you wish. My stock was pre-salted; so, I didn’t need any extra salt).

Sift in the flour and cook and stir for 2 minutes, making sure the flour is incorporated completely with the mushrooms. Gently whisk in the stock.

Bring the soup to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the soymilk, simmer an additional 10 minutes, making sure it does not come back to a boil. Remove the bay leaf before serving.